Collateral Consequences of Father's Incarceration for Child's Physical Health

• In Event: Children of Incarcerated Parents

Abstract

An area of research receiving substantial scholarly attention is the consequences of incarceration for the family members of the incarcerated. Several studies have examined the relationship between a parent’s incarceration and his or her child’s mental health and behavioral outcomes. However relatively few studies have examined the relationship between parental incarceration and childhood physical health, even though it is likely that factors that would influence the relationship between parental incarceration and childhood mental and behavioral health would also mediate the association between parental incarceration and childhood physical health. We examine the relationship between father’s incarceration and childhood physical health using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFWBS), a longitudinal dataset that follows a cohort of children from birth with an over-sample of disadvantaged families. We examine the possible mediating factors (such as economic insecurity, housing instability, strains on parental relationships, parental health, and parenting behaviors) while controlling for a host of potentially spurious factors. We then explore whether the relationship between father’s incarceration and child’s health varies by the child’s gender, the child’s age at father’s first incarceration, and whether fathers were living with their children prior to incarceration.

Authors

• Sarah V. Fry, Pennsylvania State University

• Brandy R. Parker, Pennsylvania State University